Family Reunion: Zion National Park, UT 6/26/08

We had another relaxed low-key day in Zion. We got up the usual mid-morning, rode our bikes into town and hung-out at an espresso café. They have a great internet connection and we were able to upload the blog easily. It was so pleasant that we stayed for quite awhile munching on muffins and getting caught up on the news. I was wondering how all the wildfires were doing in Nevada County and was relieved to hear that they were mostly under control. (Hope that’s true and not just what was reported in the news). By this time things were beginning to heat up so we thought we would explore some new swimming holes. I don’t know what changed overnight, but yikes, the water was freezing this morning! Our last swim was the night before, maybe 12 hours earlier(?) and I swear it felt great then. We kept trying different spots but the water didn’t get any warmer. We finally decided that the best way to get cleaned up was to go back to the campsite and take showers/wash hair using the outdoor shower on Winnie. (We were sure trying our best to look presentable for the family get together this afternoon). It felt great to finally wash our hair and soap up. The funny thing is just when I finished washing my hair our water ran out! Hard to believe we’ve run thru that much water in just a couple of days. Fortunately, the campground makes it easy to refill up. The rest of the afternoon was taking naps and reading trash magazines, (again thank you Megan. I LOVE that you now work for Entertainment Weekly. The only problem is that Ned and I are too old and too out of it to know who most of the “celebrities” are in the magazines…) We finally met up with Polly and Eric at the Visitors Center at about 3:00. It was WONDERFUL to see them. (Nancy we really missed you. It would have been great fun to have all of us together). We thought there was some symmetry in that we saw Polly & Eric at the beginning of our trip and now seeing them again towards the end. We had a fun afternoon visiting the Human History Museum, taking the tram up the canyon and having dinner and drinks at the lodge. (See photo). Afterwards, Eric and Polly stopped by our campsite and checked out our set-up. It was quite fun having “company” at our humble abode. They are just beginning their road trip – happy trails to you both! Afterwards, Ned & I rode our bikes into town to stock up on drinks for the ride across the desert tomorrow. We also wanted to post the picture as soon as possible so Nancy could see it. We are almost home (2 days) – looking forward to getting together with friends and family. I’ve missed you guys! P.S. Hoping to throw a big barbeque on July 5th for Ned’s birthday. If you’re reading this – you are invited. (Do you think the Mayor of Ville Platte will come? Come on down y’all, we’d love to show you our neck of the piney woods).